FARMLAND FOREVER

CONSERVING PRIME SOILS ON THE EASTERN BANKS OF THE HUDSON

The roots of Migliorelli Farm, a family-run fruit and vegetable farm in Northern Dutchess County in New York’s Hudson Valley, reach back to 1933. That’s when Angelo and Rocco Migliorelli began peddling vegetables around the Bronx by horse and cart. The Migliorellis’ crops flourish in the prime agricultural soils just miles from the eastern banks of the Hudson River, where its clean, well-tended fields enhance the view shed and agricultural character of the community.

Left: The Migliorellis. Right: Mutzu apples ready for processing.

Run today by its third and fourth generations, Migliorelli Farm grows more than 130 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, including the same strain of broccoli raab that Angelo brought with him when he immigrated to New York from the Lazio region of Italy.

Left: Rocco Migliorelli. Right: Some of the Migliorelli’s other fine produce.

The Migliorellis press their apple cider on a vertical Palmer Brothers cider press using just the right combination of the best available varieties. (At 80 years old, their 2000-pound press is considered an antique.) The cider is UV-treated, meaning that it passes by an ultraviolet light that kills harmful bacteria while preserving vitamins and flavor. This process is as safe as pasteurization and FDA-approved.

The Farm uses sustainable farming practices that promote food safety, freshness and flavor, cultivate healthy soils and preserve open space. In caring for their farmland, their trees and their fruit, the Migliorellis use an extensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to hold pests at bay and reduce environmental effects. They are committed to minimizing the use of fossil fuels.

Clockwise from Top Left: A local sentinel keeping watch. Heading up through the apple fields. One of the original farm signs.

In 1998, Ken Migliorelli sold all of the Farm’s development rights to protect the land through a Scenic Hudson conservation easement, ensuring that it remains farmland forever.